Search This Blog

Cold Process vs Hot Process Method

Ok I spent the entire day devoting to making soap. I actually made a batch of soap. I decided to use the Hot process method again today but using the crock pot. The first time I used this method I used the oven and it came out pretty well. So since I have a crock pot that I don't hardly use, I decided to try it.

Pros and cons for both cold and hot process soap making

Both methods have its advantages and disadvantages. Which one do I prefer, it is really hard to decide. Please keep in mind that these are just my opinions based on how I made my own soaps. I am sure others will have their own opinions.

Lets start with the Cold Process Method.

1. Pro-I like the fact that I can color the soap and make designs with this method.

2. Con- For me the scent sometimes gets distorted if I use this method. I find some of my fragrance get so messed up after I take it out of the mold and cut. Some of my scent don't seem to smell the same afterwards. Sometimes not all the time. Curing time takes up to 6 weeks in some of my soaps. The Whipped soap can take up to 6 weeks to cure.

Ok now the Hot Process Method

1. Pro-I like the fact that you can use this soap right away after it has cooled down. The scent is much bolder than when I use the cold process method. And it is so much faster to make. At least in my opinion and much easier.

2. Con- Since using this method, it is hard to swirl this type of soap as it is so thick. Just coloring the soap all one color seems to be much easier but not being able to swirl is the hard part of using this method. Another con about this is that you have to work fast after the cooking process to get all your fragrance oils and other additives in the soap before it starts to cool down too much and it won't be easy to get into the mold at least from my experience.

Testing the soap to see if its done is one method I don't like to use. I have read where the old method is to take a piece of the soap and do the tongue zapping test. Nope I did not want to do that. Another way is to scoop some soap out and roll it in your hand (gloves of course since the soap is hot) and roll to see if the soap sticks together. I lather use a ph test strip. Also I run some water on the small piece to see if it lathers. I rather do it this way then the tongue test. I remember taking the 9volt battery to my tongue as a kid and didn't like it. LOL That is what it will feel like if your soap is not quite done.

Here are a few shots of my crock pot after everything was done.The soap does stick to the sides of the crock pot so letting it sit with water in it will loosen the soap and make it easier to clean out. Since my crock pot is not immersable, it has to cleaned this way.

This is what I made today. This is from the Crock Pot method. This soap smells sooo good I can't wait to use it. This is Stargazer Lily. Absolutely wonderful.

As you can see it is sitting so it can cool down and harden. I am going to let it sit till tomorrow then unmold and cut it. Once I cut it, I will let it dry out for about 1-2 weeks. Then thats it.

UPDATE

I just cut and unmolded the soap loaf above. Wow the scent is the same as if I just poured it in. The lather is very creamy. The color is much lighter then when it was in the mold which I didn't expect but still a very nice color. I guess it was still hot when it was in the mold.

This is a small piece of the Hot Process soap that I just made. I am testing it to see how well it lathers and as you can see it lathers very well. :-) I am ready to try it NOW hehehe

To be honest I do like both methods. I am leaning towards the HOt Process because it was so much easier for me. The scent holds very well which I really like because the fragrance goes in after the soap has been cooked so all you get is the full fragrance of the scent. They both have the advantages and disadvantages.

Hot Process Method- Using direct heat (no curing time needed) but I allow my soap to harden a bit for about a week

Whipped Process Method (same as the cold process method without heating the oils and lye solution. This method takes much much longer to cure)

You know after making my soaps from scratch after a year has gone by I still do not consider myself a pro. I am still learning. I may never consider myself a pro mainly because I just enjoy making it and don't like labels. :-)

Thank you for letting me share my soap making experience with you today.

Popular posts from this blog

I know I am not the only one that have this problem. That is when you shave and see these awful black dots on your legs.As you can see I have the dreaded strawberry leg problem. I am a woman of color so my dreaded spots were so much darker on my skin than if you are not a woman of color. But no matter what your skin type is, it is not nice to see especially when you it is the Summer and you want to show those legs off. I pretty stopped shaving my legs a long time ago but never really paid much attention to my legs until recently. My hair on my legs have pretty stopped growing. This photo is pretty much an after/during my process of trying to get rid of them. My legs were much worse so they are starting to go away slowly. It is a tedious daily process and unless you go get afford to go get laser removal, try to get rid of them yourselves.

What I have tried to get rid of them? Stop shaving!!!

While
shaving is the quickest, easiest and cheapest method for hair removal, it might
be necessa…

Is one better than the other? It depends on what you like. Do you prefer soaps with lots of color, swirls and edible looking or do you prefer to keep is simple? I make both hot and cold process soaps and I am often asked, What's the difference? Does it matter if it is cold or hot? The only difference is the method of making the soap.

Here is the best way to explain the difference.

Chamomile Neroli Hot Process Soap

The hot process and cold process but lets start with the hot process. It begins by running your recipe through a lye calculator. It measures how much lye that will be needed in your recipe. The lye is measured and added to your measured water NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND because adding water to lye is dangerous and can cause an eruption. Next, the lye and water mixture is added to heated vegetable or animal fats. Some soapers prefer to use a crockpot and some prefer to use a pot. I use a pot as my crock pot is never big enough and prefer a larger pot which gets put into the …